Saturday, April 17, 2010

Candidate Forums Televised

Matt Turner and KNWA put together what I thought was a stellar event today. They asked candidates tough questions, and even had a format that encouraged some back-and-forth among the candidates. Let me go farther, this was a rare instance of the mainstream media vetting candidates extremely well. It's the kind of intelligent scrutiny that the Tea Parties should be doing, but only some are.

Here is the Senate debate. I don't know who won, but John Boozman lost. It was pathetic watching him justify all of his big-spending, government interventionist votes as conservative. His claim that more jobs would be lost in Arkansas if the bailout had not passed is laughable. Taking money from all over the country, including Arkansas, and sending it to a handful of bankers in New York is not going to save Arkansas' jobs. Not in the long run. Its only going to lead to exactly what we see: the banksters are already giving themselves multi-million dollar bonuses while the rest of the country staggers under debt.

The televised congressional forum for the 3rd district is here. This was a better debate than the Senate one. I thought Skoch did well. If he really has not done any lobbying work he might have won it. Gunner DeLay helped himself by landing blows on Womack while slipping several attempts at punches on himself. Doug Matayo also scored some points, as did Mike Moore.

5 Comments:

They only conclusion I can surmount regarding John's total lack of any competence on how this country works constitutionally is that he has been drinking a little too much out of the Potomac.

He attempts to call himself a conservative yet all his justifications of his non- fiscally conservative, unconstitutioanal, big Government votes were pure unadulterated Statist.

I don't think that it is only Arkansas who suffers from voters believing in candidates whom govern as statists but then campaign as if they are the 2nd coming of the founding fathers expecting the electorate to believe the rhetoric and disregard their voting records.

Has Doug Matayo come out and apologized for his vote in favor of giving college scholarships and in-state tuition to students that are not legal residents of Arkansas or the United States as Mark Martin has done?

I know Doug was trying to be a good floor leader and push the agenda of the Republican Governor who was full force behind the legislation.

If Doug does get elected to the House, will he support such measures at the federal level as he has done in Small Rock?

Will he support Obama's plan for Amnesty?

Or would he have been in Support of the Bush/McCain/Kennedy Amnesty Bill?

Is he okay with amnesty or scholarships as long as we have an R in the executive branch or is he a ideologue on this issue?

I did not say I believed Doug's spin, I am just reporting that were I a casual observer I would have been impressed with his performance. I have to call it like I see it. I have also been critical of Gunner DeLay's record, but that does not change the fact that he is a heck of a debater, a fighter.

Doug's a big boy, he can come in here and comment on his legislative voting record if he wants to explain it.

Or one of his supporters who has actually know his voting record is welcome to comment.

We're talking about our country here.

He has a sad sack record on illegal immigration.

He also has a sad sack record on following men(the gubner) instead of republican, or conservative or constitutional principles before casting his vote.

Voting records, not campaign rhetoric are the true indicator of one's individual fortitude for doing what one took an oath to do.

Doug was badly in need of some spinal re-enforcement when dealing with the gubner. Big Gov't, Big Spend, Big Tax, Mexican Embassy for a $1(oops that was the Gubinator), Scholarships for those crossing the border illegally, In-State tuition for those crossing the Rio Grande illegally, Non Federally Mandated State Benefits for those crossing same said border illegally.

I don't want to hear Reaganesque Platitudes or Founders Quotes typically found in the Candidates Sales Material(unless sales material truly matches the candidates record-sorry just a personal preference of mine).

Folks need to read and digest the fine print of one's legislative voting record to make a decision whether one is fit for office.

I don't mind if Doug runs for office but he needs to make it plainly obvious that he is not a fiscal conservative and that he is soft on illegals especially when we have an R in the executive branch.

If he couldn't stand on principles in Small Rock he won't stand on them in DC.